Differences
by Mr-Watch
Summary: "Humankind had always looked to the stars, to the heavens, for answers. Sometimes you didn't like what you found there. And while the galaxy revealed few answers, it was more than willing to confront you with new questions..."
1. Prologue 1

**Please read Author's Note at the bottom!**

**Thank you!**

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**Differences**

**Prologue #1 - Starry Night**

Nowi had her little fingers grasping the inside of Tiki's large pink cape. They held on to the silky cloth like a little child would hold onto its mother's hand. The small yellow haired Manakete rested in Tiki's lap, using her like a big and soft chair after a long day of hard labor. In fact, a day of walking and marching was their hard labor. Cushioned, the back of Nowi's head lay up against Tiki's chest, her head tilted upwards toward the night sky. She wiggled her body, settling farther into the older Manakete like a pillow. Pulling her arms, as well as the cape, a little tighter around her frame, Nowi let her jaw drop. Never before had she seen such a beautiful starry night sky.

The pair had wandered away from camp into a nearby field of tall grass and blooming flowers. All the vibrant smells that came from the blossoms filled both Tiki and Nowi's noses. It was such a pleasant change from the smells of sweat, metal, and burning wood back in the camp. All around them little pink bugs lit up the area around where they sat, wrapped up against one another. Although the night breeze was chilled, the warmth of their bodies was a shield…And above, was the sparkling speckled canvas of the starry heavens. Both Manaketes looked up at the brilliant sight with wonder and longing.

As Tiki propped her arms up behind her for support, she could feel Nowi's weighting nestling into her body. Tiki knew that although a Manakete, Nowi as well as she grew tired as everyone else did. The long day of marching had taken their toll on all the members of Chrom's company. There was no single person, neither Robin, Chrom, nor even Frederick who did not feel the heavy burden of their journey ever so slowly taking its toll upon their bodies and minds…But, it was the rare night like this, where all they had done that day was walk, could they take solace in the fact that there were no wounds to tend, no blades to sharpen, and no bodies to bury…They had already lost so many…

Then all at once, as Tiki looked up into stars did the memories come flowing back to her. Not only did the ones of long ago, but of those most recent. She had been told that a sell sword by the name of Gregor had fallen defending her. His body mangled, disfigured, and broken by Risen that had come to cease her own existence. Such a man died defending her in a defenseless state. Tiki couldn't help but feel guilty for the death of one of Chrom's beloved Shepherds. If she hadn't needed defending, perhaps that man might still be walking…Nowi was one who seemed to have taken the passing the hardest. She could only assume they had grown close in the years they had traveled and fought together. But now, Gregor's life was no more. Tiki could only hope to maybe fill his shoes with her strength, but she knew she never replace his spirit and person.

Tiki's mind became adrift in the thoughts of the tales of whom Chrom's Shepherds had all since lost. Apparently, a young man named Ricken had been stuck down on the passing to Valm, and a knight named Kellam on upon their landing. Chrom's tactician and wife, a young woman named Robin, said they had almost never found the body…Luckily those were the closets in the company that had fallen. Yet, even Robin had expressed her doubts about coming out of such a war without more bloodshed and death. Tiki saw in that tactician's eyes that even she knew that this war would claim more of their beloved friends before the end…

Nowi's tiny body shivered, stirring Tiki from her thoughts of the past. She had a problem of doting on events long since over. Tiki's thoughts returned to the now. They were back on Nowi, a Manakete, one of the few of her kind. Tilting her chin down, she saw and felt the little dragon scoot up closer to her body warmth. With an affectionate purr, Tiki gave a heartfelt grin. While Tiki knew she was different from the rest. It was nice being within the company of people again. So long had she been alone.

"Hey…" Nowi yawned with one eye shut as she did. Blinking, her little hands pulled Tiki's pink cape up under his chin and a little tighter around her frame. The older Manakete was simply too warm and soft for Nowi not to start falling asleep. No matter how old Tiki seemed, her skin was as smooth and soft, clean and blemish free, as a new born…Her head tilted upward toward both the stars, and Tiki's face. "…Can I ask you something?" She let out another tiny yawn. It wasn't long until Nowi would be in her own little dreamland. "It's going to sound kind of weird."

"Pray, young Nowi…" Tiki began in her smooth and almost haunting voice. "…ask, and I'll be sure to answer as well as I am able." The older dragon rested her chin comfortingly upon the top of Nowi's head, resting it in the girl's green and yellow hair. It was a sign of trust. Tiki did wish to hear Nowi's question.

Nowi's eyes wandered up in an attempt to meet Tiki's face as best she could. Pausing, the tiny Manakete let out a little huff of weariness. Ever so slowly the day of marching northward was taking its toll. Pulling the pink cape a little tighter into her arms, Nowi finally opened her mouth to ask her question. "You ever wonder what's up there?"

Never before had Tiki heard such a thing. Nowi was speaking of the stars. Like perhaps there was someone else besides them out in the deep dark blackness. To anyone else, it might have sounded completely absurd, funny even. How Nowi could think such thoughts at a time like this was beyond Tiki's knowledge. But, with a gentle, almost motherly coo, Tiki whispered back. "Like what?"

Rested her head even farther back into Tiki's chest, little Nowi spoke up again. "Maybe someone up there is wondering what it's like here." The feeling of Tiki's fine clothes against Nowi's back made the little girl feel like she was back in her own bed at the Garrison back in Ylisstol. To the young Manakete, Tiki, although she was the eldest now in Chrom's company, might be the softest.

"I guess." Tiki whispered again, trying her best not to express the humor she felt at answering such an odd question. In addition, Tiki herself did feel a little bit of comfort in Nowi's almost infant-like snuggling. The more she thought of it, the stranger such an idea became. The Voice had her own ideas of the stars above. "Do you think we'll ever meet them?"

"I hope…so…" Nowi said words becoming long, quiet, and drawn out as she drifted into slumber. Even more she settled up against her elder Manakete kin. "Don't…you?" Her eyes finally shut; Nowi had drifted into a child-like slumber…

Tiki remained awake. It was one of those rare moments where she didn't feel sleep creeping up on her person. She was wide awake, perplexed by the nature of Nowi's question. Despite her age, and even her own opinion of the stars, Tiki had never thought of an idea of someone, or something else, being up within the expanse of blackness. It sounded nearly comical.

Smiling faintly at the thought, Tiki lifted her head off of Nowi's head and hair. Through the clothing on her chest she could feel the little Manakete's heart, her breathing, the little life that was also so positive. Her eyes wandered up into the sky. That large canvas of black, speckled with little flickering silver stars was what filled her thoughts. Tiki's eyes darted from twinkling star to twinkling star, wondering if something else could be out there. Yet, nothing. There was a deathly but peaceful stillness in the dark heavens. If anything was out there like Nowi had wondered, surely being amongst such beautiful lights would certainly mean that only the most beautiful and peace things could emerge from the blackness…

There was a faint shimmer between two bright stars…

The Manakete's eyes shifted to a flicker of light blue, only slightly brighter that the rest of the stars around it. It seemed appear out of nowhere, almost having a spin to it. In curiosity, Tiki's head tilted to the side. Only of a moment, the blue shimmer was there. Just like it appeared, the blue light had vanished, leaving only a dimmer orange glint in the darkness. Flickering like a tiny candle that orange light began to move. Slowly at first, the glint began to pick up speed, growing ever slowly brighter as the seconds went by.

Tiki's eyes narrowed. The shimmering light began to behave most strangely. Its speed quickened even more, size ever increasing. A tail grew behind it, almost barely visible to the naked eye. Like little tiny sparks of a fire, small specks of fire seemed to jet out from the tail as the light reached a peak speed, streaking across the sky. A shooting star, Tiki thought, how wonderful. Such a thing was such a rare sight when one wasn't looking. If only Nowi had been awake to see…

Her eyes narrowed again. Like birthing a child, as the orange glow streaked through the black canvas another small little spark jetted out, not from the tail, but from the belly of the orange light. Both lights traveled off in different directions, the smaller one was being repelled by some other force. Tiki's eyes could barely follow both of them. She watched as the large orange flicker streaked toward the north, vanishing over the treetops, heading toward the mountains, possibly near the Valmese Capital…While the other…It flew along a different path…Twisting and turning through the air, the small ball of light shifted in a different direction, southward, drawing ever so nearer…

Through all her years alive, Tiki knew that shooting stars never behaved in such a manner. She continued to watch as the orange fiery object grew in size and brightest. And then seemingly by magic, it began to slow. Just like the large mother-like object from before, showers of tiny sparks trailed behind it. While still traveling faster than anything she had ever witnessed, Tiki watched as the tiny flickering ball of light made a sharp turn downward. It disappeared into the hills, the very same hills that they were to travel through in the day ahead…

Chrom's company was headed toward the capital of Valm…

_They were at __**war**__…_

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**Author's Note:**

**Well, here it is…**

_**(Anyone who knows where the dialogue is adapted / used from gets an imaginary internet cookie).**_

**This is one of the three "Pilot" chapters for the Fire Emblem and Halo Crossover known as ****Differences****!**

**This is a little experiment of mine. In the past, my most successful story was a crossover. This was before I had written Be Careful What You Say which has since taken that spot. (Some of my followers might remember said story from long ago). While I know it doesn't seem like much, this story is a little brainchild of mine that I sort have taken a liking to…I know it's not much as of yet, but I do hope you enjoy what might come in the future…**

**As you might have noticed, it has a little different feel than many of my other stories. That plays a large role from what I have planned…**

**But please, keep in mind that this is a "Pilot" chapter. Depending on whether or not the story is liked, will defiantly decide whether or not the story is continued. This means, it all lays upon feedback and how people view the story. So, I'm hoping you guy will tell me what you think.**

**So without any more wasting time, I'll wrap it up.**

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think! This story's fate rests upon you guys!**

**Thanks,**

_**MrWatch**_


	2. Prologue 2

**Please read Author's Note at the bottom!**

**Thank you!**

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**Differences**

**Prologue #2 – The LOCUS**

Nestled deep within the hills of Valm a lake boiled. Bubbles rose to the once peaceful smooth surface. What was once a near glass-like sheet of calm water was now boiling violently, heated by some unknown force. The middle of the lake was the epicenter of the disturbance. Ripples fiercely rocketed out from the center of the water. Yet, there was no sign of anything coming from the shore. None person or thing had stepped onto the sand and cast some spell of fire or lobbed some large heated stone into the small lake. No footprints. Nothing. Everything in the surrounding area was deathly still…

In the midnight hour, there was a tomb-like silence, save for the sounds of the bubbles exploding to the surface. No bugs sang their songs of deranged love and cravings for a mate. No little lighted insects hung near the shore to light the grass. This alien disturbance, whatever it may have been, had forced the native creatures away from the water's edge. All was still…Yet, as the seconds turned to minutes, even the boiling began to fade. The water was quick to return to near its normal cool temperature. Bubbles came in less frequency, and soon the ripples too vanished. Once again, this small lake nestled in the hills of Valm became as smooth as glass.

_Silence…_

Above, in the night sky, stars continued to shimmer, seemingly unfazed by the events unfolding on the earth under them. Their faint twinkling was sustained unabatedly like that had been for thousands of years…But, on this particular night, there was a strange haunting beauty they had to them like some other conflict had shifted their nonexistent minds. Each little glimmering light of silver pinned into the black canvas shared that same deathly stillness as the Valm country side almost as if the heavens and earth were linked for those fleeting moments. This force, the entity that had disturbed the once serine waters was their focus. The eyes of the night sky were on that locus.

_Bubbles…_

Breaking the surface of the lake, a black hand erupted from the watery dark depths! It reached towards the heavens, towards the stars like it craved to join the shimmering dots of silver and white. This hand, while human in nature, was covered in some strange grey-black material, some other-worldly combination of metal and cloth, its mass taught against the skin beneath it. There was a strange pattern to this material, having an almost reptilian scale-like texture on everything but the palm and underside of the digits. Along the fingers and the back of the hand, coal-colored pieces of metallic armor reflected light through the dipping water. The fingers curled and shook. Life pulsed vigorously in the digits. For long moments, the hand hung above the water only to violently be pulled back beneath the lake surface.

Soon, a faint shape began to move toward the sandy shoreline. Like a shark near stalking its prey, the figure caused the water to wash around it, small waves being set away of it path as it continued onward. The shore drew nearer and nearer as the entity closed in upon the sands…

As if rising from a watery grave, a figure emerged from the clouded waters. At first, only the smooth top of a head, hairless and steady. Yet, this shape, this head, was inhuman as more of it roses from the lake. Continuing from up from the depth, more and more of the shape came into view. Now fully out of the waters, the head shared the same coal-colored metallic armor as the hand. Streams of water ran down its curves, jetting off the pronounced metals of the chin. It had not eyes, only a smooth piece of metal where they should've been. As more and more of the new body emerged from the lake, it became clear that whatever this thing might be was covered in thick plates of armor, all painted in that similar off-black color. Soon, a chest, a shoulder, forearms, hands, and more stepped up onto the sands. Covered in armor and scale-like black skin the human-shaped figure took its first step onto dry sands, no longer touching the water from which it had been birthed.

The steps it took were uneasy and unbalanced, yet still it pushed itself forward. Hunched over, as if in pain, the mass humanoid brought itself a few more meters away from the water's edge before coming to a halt. It paused, leaning over and placing its hands on its knees. Underneath the armor plates, the skin-tight material rose and fell violently. While its helmet had no opening for a mouth, it continued to breathe as if there was nothing there.

Pushing off its knees, the figure now stood up straight, its body rigid and firm in stance. Head lifting from the ground and turning from side to side, the masculine shape took in its surroundings. As if hidden underneath the eyeless helmet, it shifted glances from hill to hill, taking it all in as if it had never seen such greenery before. Like a silent newborn, this new entity was motionless, head still turning from side to side as it took in more and more details of this new world it had been brought into. Stepping forward, away from the sand and to the grass, the humanoid looked out over the rolling fields and hills stretching out into the distance. Even with its emotionless metal face it stared out onto this new world with a strange wonder.

Turning around, this new figure now looked back down onto the lake from which it emerged. Long moments passed as the metallic shade stared blankly into the murky waters. The way it had its head tilted to the side showed that, underneath all that metal, it seemingly yearned to return, perhaps not into the waters. But someplace else, someplace far away…Slowly, it looked down it its hands, palms open as if somewhere on the surface of the black material was written the answer…

_Nothing…_

A new force drew its attention away from the dark waters. As if aided by some sort of magic, the eyeless armored head drifted over the hills, toward the south. Far off in the distance a small orange haze of the horizon could almost barely be seen, fires. The black armored body turned. Large metal feet had a surprisingly soft touch on the ground for what they were. The fires on the horizon were like sugar to a fly for the metallic figure…Its head turned again, this time toward the north. Once more it seemed to yearn for someplace different for where it was. It looked back to the south as if debating its next move, weighing its choices between staying or going north or south…Finally…After a long and deathly silence, the coal-colored armor began to step forward, its feet carrying it toward the fires in the south of this new world…

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**Author's Note:**

**Well, here is the second Prologue…I hope you enjoyed it for what it was, no matter how short it may have been. Originally it was supposed to be combined with the first, but I figured it would be much better understood as a stand-alone chapter…Love it or hate it, that's how it happened!**

**OK, so now on to a little explanation…**

**When I set out planning this story, I had something else in mind than to simply **_**tell a story**_**. By that, I know that mixing Halo and Fire Emblem definitely raised some red-flags for some people. Hey, it even does for me still…But, when I set off planning this thing, I definitely wanted to do something other than most Halo crossovers might be viewed as. (For example – guns, explosions, etc). Instead, I went back and played through the first game, ****Halo: Combat Evolved****. When I first played that game so many years ago (I still have my original Xbox copy) I got this sense of wonder, a sense of stepping into a new world quite alien to my own. It was something that made me feel **_**very small**_**…While yes, the game itself was fun and I loved running around blowing things up, but ever since, I've stuck with the Halo series for the story, locale, music, and the characters rather than the guns and gameplay…So, I guess the easiest way to put it is that I'm **_**not writing an action story**_**. I'm writing a story about stepping into a new world, a story that makes you feel very small. (While I still have fun writing it)! I want to perhaps carry the emotions I got from playing the first game into this piece of writing.**

**All that said I now hope you can see what exactly I'm trying to do, or maybe be in the same ballpark. It's one of the main reasons I've chosen the main character, Tiki, as I did. She, and our currently unnamed male counterpart, are going to the vessels of my goal…Yes; these two short chapters aren't much as of yet…But soon I'm able to accomplish what I've set out to do.**

**Ok, so now onto less heavy things…**

**(Yes, the title has a double meaning, I'll let you guys figure that one out. For you Halo fans, it shouldn't be hard, but if you're not, I might direct you to Google the term Locus and Halo. You'll find what you're looking for. Haha).**

**So, in an effort to perhaps add some sort of ambience to the story as you read. I'm going to place a listening suggestion at the bottom of the page. You don't need to do it, but it's simply going to be one of the tracks I was listening to while writing this particular chapter. (Look below and you'll see it).**

**Anyway, yes, I'm back after a long writing break! Don't worry, I'll be updating the rest of my stories here soon enough! Stay tuned! I'll be sure to get to my late PMs and story readings as soon as I can!**

**Like always, please drop a review and tell me what you think!**

**Thanks,**

**Mr-Watch**

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**Listening Suggestion – "High Charity Suite II" from the Halo Legends OST.**


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